richhemmings
Member
- Posts
- 27
- Location
- Bristol
Hi all,
I joined the forum as a prospective owner.
Please point me in the correct location, or help me out here with the tough decisions!
I've been reading some posts on this forum and others, as well as other guides, YouTube videos, etc as I'm trying to decide if I should buy a Land Rover, or not.
I'm hoping you can help me?
We're expanding the family and I have some outdoor hobbies that require the use of a bigger car to ferry often children (x2 under 2) and wife (x1) around and occasionally lift and shift tools, parts, materials, and equipment.
I also plan on dog(s) in the future.
I foresee a need to tow a small trailer too.
I see this purchase as a 5+ year car.
We recently bought a new 'SUV' which is ok on loose surfaces, but won't handle mud and makes my heart ache when I drive it through an overgrown hedge protruding into one of the many lanes near where we live. It's also supposed to be kept clean inside, despite my better half's efforts.
I think I need a legitimate and capable 4wd that is sensible and flexible enough to stick the kids in for a weekend camping trip, go fishing, drive through the fields, throw dirty dogs, boots children and wife in.
Something we can use and have adventures in but that also looks smart enough that my wife will drive it.
I would like to think that given the right car and opportunity I would also have a crack at a few green lanes a year, but this isn't a deciding factor.
I don't need it to be ULEZ compliant as we can drive the new enviro-friendly hybrid (45mpg
) into town. But I'd like to kid myself into believing I might be able to get something that would do 35+ in normal conditions! And... as the government continues to price-out older cars through tax, I think getting a euro 5 would be a good move, at least to help stave off the inevitable hikes as long as possible.
I started looking at a Discovery - all ages, preferably pre-air sus (or converted) and wrote of the Freelander 1 on the advice of a friend, but have since come back around to the Freelander 2 on account of more positive reviews. I prefer the FL2 looks and interior feel over FL1.
In the class, the FL2 seems the best all-rounder and the economy looks ok on the 2.2 TDE. I don't need a farm truck, and figure the slightly smaller option (over Discovery) might be best suited for my daily and frequent countryside needs.
Would rather not blow the family savings on a car I'll probably only drive 2-5k a year in, but £6-7k in the south west seems about right for a tidy 2010 FL2 with up to 80k on the clock(?)
Full disclosure - I'm pretty sold on a FL2 at the moment, but not the price in the used market, I'd be much happier sub-5k, but firmly believe in the old saying - buy cheap, buy twice.
Before I go digging around the money tree I'd really appreciate any advice or opinion from those who have lived with one and perhaps have similar use cases.
I'm happy to be told that I'm barking up the wrong tree and that a cheaper, Korean alternative would suit me better!
I'm also handy around engines, so can change water pumps, radiators, belts etc. I can't lift transmissions out or rebuild blocks and I've been known to MIG weld
Any advice welcome, pitfalls (my research shows nothing out of the ordinary, unlikle Disco air sus), etc.
Thank-You in advance!
Rich
I joined the forum as a prospective owner.
Please point me in the correct location, or help me out here with the tough decisions!
I've been reading some posts on this forum and others, as well as other guides, YouTube videos, etc as I'm trying to decide if I should buy a Land Rover, or not.
I'm hoping you can help me?
We're expanding the family and I have some outdoor hobbies that require the use of a bigger car to ferry often children (x2 under 2) and wife (x1) around and occasionally lift and shift tools, parts, materials, and equipment.
I also plan on dog(s) in the future.
I foresee a need to tow a small trailer too.
I see this purchase as a 5+ year car.
We recently bought a new 'SUV' which is ok on loose surfaces, but won't handle mud and makes my heart ache when I drive it through an overgrown hedge protruding into one of the many lanes near where we live. It's also supposed to be kept clean inside, despite my better half's efforts.
I think I need a legitimate and capable 4wd that is sensible and flexible enough to stick the kids in for a weekend camping trip, go fishing, drive through the fields, throw dirty dogs, boots children and wife in.
Something we can use and have adventures in but that also looks smart enough that my wife will drive it.
I would like to think that given the right car and opportunity I would also have a crack at a few green lanes a year, but this isn't a deciding factor.
I don't need it to be ULEZ compliant as we can drive the new enviro-friendly hybrid (45mpg
) into town. But I'd like to kid myself into believing I might be able to get something that would do 35+ in normal conditions! And... as the government continues to price-out older cars through tax, I think getting a euro 5 would be a good move, at least to help stave off the inevitable hikes as long as possible.I started looking at a Discovery - all ages, preferably pre-air sus (or converted) and wrote of the Freelander 1 on the advice of a friend, but have since come back around to the Freelander 2 on account of more positive reviews. I prefer the FL2 looks and interior feel over FL1.
In the class, the FL2 seems the best all-rounder and the economy looks ok on the 2.2 TDE. I don't need a farm truck, and figure the slightly smaller option (over Discovery) might be best suited for my daily and frequent countryside needs.
Would rather not blow the family savings on a car I'll probably only drive 2-5k a year in, but £6-7k in the south west seems about right for a tidy 2010 FL2 with up to 80k on the clock(?)
Full disclosure - I'm pretty sold on a FL2 at the moment, but not the price in the used market, I'd be much happier sub-5k, but firmly believe in the old saying - buy cheap, buy twice.
Before I go digging around the money tree I'd really appreciate any advice or opinion from those who have lived with one and perhaps have similar use cases.
I'm happy to be told that I'm barking up the wrong tree and that a cheaper, Korean alternative would suit me better!
I'm also handy around engines, so can change water pumps, radiators, belts etc. I can't lift transmissions out or rebuild blocks and I've been known to MIG weld
Any advice welcome, pitfalls (my research shows nothing out of the ordinary, unlikle Disco air sus), etc.
Thank-You in advance!
Rich
